By Brad Richason February 22, 2012

For decades, U.S. views of Cuban culture have been distorted by restricted access, reduced to archival footage of Fidel Castro cursing the evils of capitalism and American officials reacting with menacing rhetoric over the scourge of communism. In recent years, however, such dogma has slowly faded thanks to a gradual easing of prohibitions between our nations. Consequently, now seems an ideal time to revisit our Caribbean neighbors. Short of actually journeying to Havana, aspiring travelers can obtain an ideally immersive passage via the third annual Minnesota Cuban Film Festival, hosted by St. Anthony Main Theater. Co-sponsored by the Film Society of Minneapolis/St. Paul and the Minnesota Cuban Committee, the festival offers a Cuban film every Thursday, collaboratively selected by the Instituto Cubano del Arte y la Industria Cinematográficos (ICAIC) and Cuba's international film school, Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión (EICTV). The resultant lineup reflects an unvarnished study of contemporary Cuba,... More >>>